The psychological contract of international business travellers with their employers. Perspectives of Belgian travellers

Abstract

Subsequent to the growing need for internationally mobile talent, alternative forms of international assignees have arisen (Collings, Scullion and Morley 2007; PricewaterhouseCoopers 2010). This study focuses on such newly appointed internationally working employees, particularly International Business Travellers (abbreviated to IBTs). Inspired by a lack of research attention relating to this labour population, this DBA project opens up the black7box of the IBT working partnership. This is achieved by surveying the role of the IBT as well as the distinctiveness and the state of the psychological contract that the employees involved have with their current employer. The research described and substantiated in this work was devised from the IBT’s perspective, and occurs within a Belgian context. Consistent with a – methodologically revitalising – interpretive phenomenological framework, the study was operationalised on the basis of qualitative, semi7structured interviews with nine IBTs. The thematic data analysis carried out indicated the multifarious, intercultural and strategic role of the IBT, and brought skills specifically characterising the IBT to light. The IBT psychological contract was summarised by eighteen content7related obligations, which contemporaneously display contrasts and similarities with related reference research. The contract in question proved to be evaluated generally positively by the research participants and to develop itself in a unique manner through a noteworthy relational base mixed with a non7negligible transactional facet. Along with a discussion of the principal insights found/contributions made, this thesis includes a number of study limitations, recommendations for further research and implications for successful IBT psychological contract management. Personal reflections are, where relevant, also provided throughout this work.